Meet AMG’s brute for the school run

Liz Dobson
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The Mercedes-AMG C63 S estate

While SUVs rule our roads, there should always be a place for wagons, and when it comes to top estates then look no further than the Mercedes-AMG C63 S.

Mercedes New Zealand recently launched one of its most popular AMG products, the updated C63 estate, and when we say updated, it’s more of a polish than a complete restoration.

It makes sense – why mess with near perfection.

The 2019 Mercedes-AMG C63 S estate retains the same power from the 4-litre, twin turbo V8 petrol that produces 375kW of power and 700Nm of torque but gains the new nine-speed AMG speedshift transmission.

Its stats are 4.1seconds from 0-100km/h and top speed of 276km/h. Pretty impressive for a family wagon.

Well, this more than your average school-run mobile.  And that shows in the price. The C63 S estate is priced from $170,800 while our test model was fitted with AMG performance seats ($3700) that give you an extra snug feeling.

The rear-wheel-drive C63 S also has 19in alloys and gains the new grille similar to the AMG GT range. It also gets new multi-beam LED headlights and rear lights.

Inside, the estate has the new digital widescreen dash display and a wider central infotainment screen, plus a new D shaped steering wheel that uses tile style buttons for such function as exhaust control.

The S gets AMG’s traction control that is found in the GT R and five driver modes that allows you to choose your engine, gearbox, steering and exhaust settings.

And you’d be silly not to have the exhaust setting permanently on sport, as I did. Sure the neighbours on my shared driveway weren’t impressed when I idled it near their bedroom windows in the morning, and yes, I may have made a pedestrian jump when I booted it from a give way sign. But if you’ve got it, flaunt it.

I thought it was thunderous in the cabin, but when I wound down the window the noise from the exhaust was positive brutal. No wonder the pedestrian jumped, they probably thought it was a Game of Thrones dragon behind them.

But what wasn’t brutal was when it came to driving. Even in sport mode the C63 S estate was comfortable on the bumpiest of bitumen and was an assertive performer when taking on tight bends on country roads. Dial in comfort and you have a sedant-ish dragon.

The new transmission progresses swiftly through the gears, while I preferred to use the steering wheel mounted paddles to nip up or down when on those tight bends.

While the C63’s boot space isn’t that much bigger than the sedan, it has the benefit of a lower loading lip and once the flat-folding rear seats are down, there is plenty of room for gear.

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